Electric signaling device.



no. 674,660. Patentedrmay'zl, Ism. c. F. wlLnER.

ELECTRIC SIGNLING DEVICE.

l (Application led Nov. 7, 1900.) (No Model.)

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' UNITED STATES PATENT IIEEICE.

CONRAD F. IVILDER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO HENRY KAMM, OF SAME PLACE. Y

ELECTRIC SIG NALING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 674,660, dated May 21, 1901.

Application filed November 7,1900. Serial No. 35,732. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CONRAD F. WILDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Signaling Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to signaling devices for railways, and has for its object to notify io the-engineer or driver on a moving car or locomotive of the condition of a movable part of the track some time before he reaches the same.

My illustration of the device must be taken as diagrammatic, as it will be evident that numerous minor details can be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention. Its application as proposed b y me is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

2o wherein- Figure 1 is a View of a railway-track and bridge. Fig. 2 is a cross-section in the rear of a locomotive. Fig. 8 is a detailed section of a bridge-circuit-closing apparatus. Fig.

z5 4 is a section on a line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

Like parts are indicated by the same letter in all the figures.

A A are the track-rails, and B B' the movable rails of a bridge.

G is a bridge having the tongue G projecting therefrom. Opposed to this tongue and preferably between the rails are the fixed spring contact-plates J J. The strip J is connected with the conductor C3 and the strip J with the conductor C11, and thus when the tongue G is between the strips J and J the circuit is closed. This is the case when the bridge is closed.

The arrangement of the devices can be 4o made so that the alarm is given either when the bridge is opened or closed or when the switch is opened or closed, according to the system adopted by the engineer having the matter in charge.

C3 is a conductor leading from the tongue J to the battery C4 and thence to a contact-bar C5 on the plate C6, which is supported by the arms Clon the standard C8.

C9 is a shed or roof on the standard and 5o projecting outwardly, so as to cover and protect the contact-bars. C10 is a similar contact-bar, whence leads conductor C11 to the movable contact or tongue J.

D is a locomotive provided with a local circuit, consisting of battery D, conductors D2, D3, and D4, contact D5, and movable circuit-closer D6 and bell D7. The local circuit is closed and the battery causes the bell to ring when the movable circuit-closer D6 completes the circuit by the engagement of the 6o contact D5.

E is a magnet opposed to and controlling the movable circuit-closer D6. It has two wires E E2 passing out to the strip E3, where they are connected, respectively, to brushes E"L and E5, the strip and brushes being held in position by the arm EG and removably secured at E7 to the locomotive. When the brushes engage the opposed contact-strips, the local circuit in the locomotive is closed 7o and the alarm given, if at the same time the circuit through the tongues J J is closed, and thus the engineer is advisedas to the condition of the bridge.

The use and operation of myinvention are as follows: When the locomotive is approaching a bridge or other point where there may be danger, the engineer will attach or throw into place the removable arm E6, whose two brushes will then project into a proper posi- 8o tion. The contact-bars would be placed ata uniform elevation and a uniform position with reference to the rails, and the position, size, and shape of the removable arm carrying the brushes would be designed with reference to this position of the contact-bars and the shape and size of the locomotive to which the arm was applied. When the removable arm is thus thrown out, its two brushes engage the two contact-bars, and if the circuit 9o at the other end is closed a complete closed circuit will be formed and the alarm will be sounded on the locomotive.

The conductors may be all inclosed and buried and they may pass upwardly through the standard C8, thus giving a perfect protection. The contact-bars are roofed over, so as not to be interfered with by snow and ice and also to be safe from accidental injury,

such as would be likely to occur when such roo contact-bars are placed upon the ground or near it.

By the use of the Word removable I mean l one with each of said conductors, an inclined to indicate that the device is capable of being easily removed when long runs are being made where the device is not required. I have shown the device held in place by two screw-bolts, Which can be unscrewed to -remove the device. Obviously other means could be employed for this purpose.

I have described and illustrated my invention as applicable to a bridge; but obviously the same form and construction of the parts could be applied to any other movable portion of the track.

I claim- In an electric signaling device for railways, the combination of a xed circuit-closing device placed in proximity to a movable portion of railway-track and consisting of two springtermnals, a connection from the movable part projecting between the spring-terminals of the circuit-closing device, whereby when the movable part of the track is moved the spring-terminals are permitted to come to-' gether and thus the circuit-closer is operated, conductors leading from the two spring-terminals of such circuit-closing device to a distance therefrom along the track, vtwo long elevated exposed contact-strips supported on standards alongside the fixed portion of such railway-track at a considerable distance from the movable part of the track and connected roof or covering above and extending outwardly beyond, and thus adapted to protect said long-exposed contact-strips from the action ot snow, ice and the like, a local circuit on the locomotive,a circuit making and breaking device for said local circuit, having two cond nctorsleading therefrom,an arm adapted to be removably attached to the top of the locomotive-cab and to project from such locomotive above and to one side thereof, said arm shaped so as to pass under the edge of the roof and toward the contact-strips, two brushes on the arm connected with the conductors of the local circuit making and breaking device on the locomotive and adapted to travel along said contact-strips while the locomotive is moving therealong, batteries, one in the local circuiton the locomotive and the other fixed and in the linecircnit,and a signaling device in the local circuit on the locomotive, whereby a signal is given and continued for a definite predetermined period on the locomotive as to the condition of the movable part of the track, substantially as shown and described.

CONRAD F. VILDER.

l/Vitnesses:

FANNY B. FAY, HOMER L. KRAFT. 

